“and from Jesus Christ – the faithful witness, the firstborn from among the dead, the ruler over the kings of the earth. To the one who loves us and has set us free from our sins at the cost of his own blood and has appointed us as a kingdom, as priests serving his God and Father – to him be the glory and the power for ever and ever! Amen.” Revelation 1:5-6 NET https://bible.com/bible/107/rev.1.5-6.NET

Who are we, what are we to do, and how are we to do it as Christians? These questions are answered in this text. First of all, we are loved and free from the penalty of our sins. God loves us, so He came to us to save us. God loves us, so He punished Himself for us in the perfect sacrifice of Jesus’ life. Jesus’ sacrifice at the cross paid for all the sins of those who love God and keep His commands. The cross removed the hostility of God toward us, revealed the love of God for us, and brought the peace of God to us by making us children of God. Now we are His people, appointed as His holy messengers to declare His work in Jesus among the nations calling all people everywhere to repentance, faith, and obedience to Jesus the Lord and Judge of all. This is what we are to do. The Great Commission is our mission. Our vocation is to pay for our occupation: seeing God’s kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We are to bring men to God in prayer, and we are to bring God to men through sharing the gospel. We are to live obedient lives, faithful witnesses, as our God in Christ did, Whose life of love and service was a powerful magnet of God for bringing the sinner to salvation. This is our means. Loving and serving people as Jesus did and does through us so that as we lift him up, He draws all people to Himself. Our privilege and pleasure are to know God and to do His will to be rewarded by Him for such work when we live forever with Him and all those who have ever loved Him by serving Him also.